By Rohit Mundayur

New Delhi, Apr 25 (IANS): The Archery Association of India (AAI) is looking to provide assistance to ailing archer Limba Ram. AAI Secretary General Pramod Chandurkar said that he is speaking to President Arjun Munda after which the matter may be taken to the Sports Ministry.

"I got to know about this today," Chandurkar told IANS. "I am talking to our president so that we can provide some sort of assistance immediately. For the past one year his treatment has been going on at the Sports Authority of India. So we will make sure some assistance reaches him as soon as possible."

48-year-old Limba has been fighting a neuro-degenerative condition for over a year now. In May 2019, Limba was admitted to AIIMS in New Delhi by the Sports Authority of India and arrangements were also made for his wife Merian Jenny's stay at the residential hostel inside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium complex.

However, as reported by Times of India on Saturday, his treatment has been affected due to the ongoing lockdown in the country that has been put in place to assist in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The former coach of the national team has also been suffering from schizophrenia since December 2019 and was recently diagnosed with Neurocysticercosis condition.

Awarded the Padma Shri in 2012, Limba was one of the most prominent archers from the country in the 1990's. In the 1992 Archery World Championships, he equalled the world record in the 30m event to win gold. He represented India in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and missed out on bronze in the 70m category by one point.